Depths of Thedas
by xXxTerraxXx
Summary: Warden Commander Cousland is fighting to find a cure for the corruption. He's been a Warden for 12 years now. How much time does he have left? His quest takes him to a place beyond what he's ever seen. He must carefully choose his course of action lest he start an ancient feud once more. A spin-off of 'The Other Companion'. Rated T for cussing.
1. Desperate Quest

**A/N:** Hi guys! To those of you who have been reading 'The Other Companion' don't worry, I'm not going to stop writing it. I just had a really awesome idea for my Warden. Or at least, I think it's awesome. I'll get back to it once I've gotten part of this out of my system. Thanks and I hope you all enjoy this spin-off.

* * *

Pantheras Cousland was a man of 32 years, who had saved Ferelden from a Blight—losing his entire family save his elder brother in the process— become the Warden Commander of that country, and saved a city and his new Keep. The woman who he'd cared deeply for ran off with his son, and had not said a word since. Still, he kept on going through every day, hoping something good would come out of all his trials.

Every day he hoped that he could find an end to all the fighting he had to do. When he started out, he was barely a man of 20. For a year, he had travelled Ferelden with his comrades and forged alliances out of necessity. He'd put his best friend, Alistair on the throne and ended up not dying to the Archdemon because of Morrigan. Morrigan. The woman he'd lost. The woman he'd chased for far too long. The woman who was now with this organization called 'The Inquisition'. He only knew because his dear friend, Leliana had written him a letter, asking for his help. She talked of his son.

Apparently, Kieran had his same deep green eyes, and kind smile. Kieran had his mother's hair and curiosity, but had Pan's quiet demeanor. He'd sent back a letter happily enough saying how he wanted to meet his son and all, but he was sorry to inform the Lady Inquisitor that he had no idea who this Corypheus was. Leliana's Inquisitor, Mina seemed like the good sort. He hoped that his old friend was happy.

He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair and stretched. He'd been sleeping on the ground for far too long. He'd gone on a personal quest to try and find a way to cure the corruption that consumed the Wardens after some years. Or, at least extend the time it took for them to be taken by it. He had been a Warden for 12 years and felt that he didn't have much time left. He hadn't heard the Calling just yet, but the others said it wouldn't be long. Maybe two more years at best.

Just then, his companion called to him, "Hey, Pan! You'd better get your slobbering goofballs in order before they attract some unwanted attention!" He laughed and whistled to his two Mabari. They were still pups at heart. Elana was just tired of fighting off bears because of them.

"Dragon! Fauxe! C'mere you two, or you're not getting breakfast!" he hollered. Out of the bushes bounced two balls of fur. One was black and one was red-brown with white paws. Pan had had Dragon since before the Blight. They'd grown up together, and were becoming old men together. Fauxe was one he'd saved from the corruption during his time at Ostagar. She was a bit younger than Dragon, but they got along famously. In fact, they'd had a litter of pups a few years back. The Wardens fought over who got which. They'd ended up being taken care of by everyone.

They sat at his feet expectantly. He raised his eyebrows, prompting them to give a pitiful whine. He smiled and dug two rabbits out of their stash of food.

"Is this what you want? I don't know… You've given Elana quite a bit of trouble," he teased.

Fauxe gave a little growl and snorted. Dragon nudged Pan's leg, trying to goad him.

"Fine, fine. I don't want my two vicious guard dogs too hungry to fight when we run into a dragon," he said and dropped the meat.

Elana dropped out of a tree then and rolled her eyes. She was an Elf of about 28 years with black hair and stern brown eyes. She was one of the best scouts, which he needed in the Emerald Graves.

"Put a shirt on, will ya? I don't want to see that," she said motioning to his tanned skin. He was more built and toned than most guys his age, and had three times as many scars. He had one from a dragon on his back that went from just below his left shoulder blade to right above his left hip, one on the right side of his head where it was shaved, one above his left eye, and various others that weren't as noticeable. Not to mention, he had a few burns on his stomach.

He reached his tattooed right arm over and grabbed the top part of his armor. He liked the tribal-looking marks that extended from his right wrist all the way across his shoulders. It made him feel as if he'd become his own man; not just the younger Cousland brother, the Hero of Ferelden, or the Warden Commander. He was a person outside of his duties.

Once fully dressed, he helped clean up their small camp and pack up their things before heading back out into the endless trees. They'd been exploring the Graves for a bit more than a week and come up empty handed. His last lead pointed to something there, but he just couldn't find it. They said that there was an entrance to another Dwarven city. So far, nothing had even suggested Dwarves had been there. There was stone, but nothing had been carved into. There were plenty of Elven paintings to be found, and they were beautiful, but it wasn't what he was looking for.

Too soon, it was nightfall and they'd found nothing once again. He could tell Elana was getting irritated. She thought his quest was a fool's errand and he was wasting his time when he should be doing other things. He shook his head at her and told her stories about his friends during the Blight when she did that. Everyone they'd come across had thought what they were doing was madness, but in the end, they'd won. They'd defeated all odds and from two they'd become many. They'd overthrew Loghain and stopped the mages from being completely wiped out. They'd done so much good despite what everyone had thought of them.

It drove Pan nuts to think that the world had gone back into chaos twice after he'd spent a year desperately trying to save it. Once in Kirkwall with the mages, and then again with the Inquisition. He fully believed that the Mage rebellion had started in Kirkwall. What made him more furious was that it had been ignited by someone he'd known. Anders was a Warden and a friend for a time. Pan swore that if by some chance he came across the mage, he'd kill him on the spot.

They set up camp again and once more, Elana began her speech about how this whole thing was pointless. Pan sighed and ignored her, walking off into the trees with an "I'll be back later" thrown over his shoulder. There was a waterfall nearby and he wanted to clear his head. Swimming would help. Dragon followed him, giving a sad look to Fauxe who stayed with their Elven friend.

Pan stripped down to his leather pants and dove in. The water was chilly and refreshing, but did nothing to cool his growing anger. It took a lot to piss Pan off, but he was finally reaching that point. He swam over to the edge where Dragon was watching him and rested on the rocky shore. Dragon had always been his trusted confidant. The poor dog had listened to just about all of the Hero's problems. Once more, Pan felt the need to unload his burdens to his faithful pup.

"You know, Dragon, I'm getting tired of all this. I've done so much and have nothing to show for it. A few meaningless titles. I don't have a home or a family. Well, I have Fergus, but I never get to see him, and I have a son I've never met. I'm just wondering what I did to piss the Maker off so much. If doing all the good you can gets you nowhere, maybe I should just retire and become a bitter, cranky old man."

Dragon barked angrily at his master's words and nuzzled one of his hands. The Mabari didn't like that idea at all. He quite liked roaming freely throughout the entirety of Thedas.

"You're right. I'd never be able to do that. I'm not so good at being cranky. What I do want is to see my son. I want to figure things out with Morrigan. If she wants to be with me, that's great. I'd love that. If not… I dunno. I guess I'll just have to move on. I do love her, you know. Told her once too. She brushed it off and told me I was being an idiot. I bet that if she missed me, she'd never tell me. I should've gone into the Eluvian with her. Maybe she was right; I am an idiot. For a different reason, but even so."

Pan trailed off and slid back into the water. He didn't want to think about what he'd lost anymore. He did that entirely too often. Instead, he dove as far down as he could and watched the little fish swim by. They weren't scared of him once bit. It was fantastic! A few of them glowed in the moonlight, acting like little lanterns in the water.

He came up for air and found that he'd swam behind the waterfall. There was a cave that lead further into the green hills above. He couldn't call Dragon over the roar of the water, but he still wanted to know what exactly was in the cave. Pan hopped out of the water and looked around. There were torches that looked like they hadn't been lit in ages. That was probably the case, actually. Unfortunately, he didn't have anything to light his way since he'd left everything back on shore. Including the better part of his armor and his bow.

Taking a deep breath, Pan walked deeper into the darkness, as cautiously as he was able. Luckily, he always kept some throwing knives on his belt just in case he needed them. The tunnel seemed to grow larger with every step, and the ceiling grew taller. About five minutes into it, he noticed that there were lyrium veins running horizontally along the walls. His one source of light.

Fifteen minutes passed and Pan stood gaping at a huge Dwarven looking door made of Paragon's Luster. It had an iridescent orange color that made the tunnel around him glow. This was it. This is what that scroll in Perendale had told him about. The dreadful trip to Nevarra wasn't for nothing! He studied it further, trying to figure out how it opened when he spotted a partially done picture. It showed a Dwarf with its arms raised, but the rest of it was scrambled up.

"I bet that picture is the key to getting this monster of a door open," he mused. It took him half an hour to get all the pieces in the correct spot. The artwork wasn't like the Dwarf art he'd seen in Orzammar. It was less blocky and had more detail to it. That had made it a bit harder to figure out which part went where. Pan stepped back and looked at his handiwork. There was a group of Dwarves welcoming some kind of strange Elf. And a Qunari… It was as if they had traded at one time or another.

The locking mechanisms began to clank around and open up. The door swung open, letting out a smell akin to the ocean. It was salty and fishy like the many harbors he'd been to during his journey. What a strange thing to smell in the middle of a cave. He was far enough away from the sea that there shouldn't have been any runoff. Much to his surprise, there was a small, circular lake that filled up most of the room. In the middle was a pedestal with something on it. On the far wall, was some kind of teal light in a cage. That was most likely his prize. What made the whole thing even more bizarre was that the water was _frozen_. It took extreme temperatures for seawater to freeze. As he got closer to the water, he saw some kind of creature in the depths. It had tentacles and angry eyes as if it were ready to attack a trespasser. Pan let out a sigh of relief and carefully walked over to the pedestal, slipping a couple of times and falling on his arse.

' _I look like a toddler trying to walk,'_ he chuckled in his head.

Once more, he steadied himself and slid on towards the center of the lake. The pedestal itself was made out of what looked like veridium. But, what interested him more was the book on top of it. Clearly, it was old, but it didn't seem weathered what so ever. In fact, it looked better than most of the books that were sold in shops around Thedas. Except for Orlais. Everything was fancy in Orlais. Especially their ridiculous hats.

"Oh, but their cake is so good…" he mumbled, "Ah, right! Back on track, Pan. Find out what's in the book!"

There were a few sections written in the ancient Dwarven tongue, ancient Elven tongue, and a bit in Qunlat. The majority of it, though, was in common tongue. It was a relief too, because he didn't speak any other language very well. He'd have to learn some later.

The main text described a city in Rivain that was grand and the center of trade inhabited mostly by Elves. It wasn't one he'd ever heard of, but that was because, as the book explained, it had fallen into the sea. Most people had thought it destroyed, but some years later, strange looking Elves came out of the sea bearing gifts and wishing to trade. It said that they had legs and arms like everyone, but their skin had turned a grey akin to the Qunari's and they had fins on each leg and arm, and one on their back. It also said that they had gills on their neck just below their ears. For a while, they were at peace with all, then something happened with the humans and the 'Sea Elves' were never heard from again. The writing became harder to read at the end then switched back to Dwarven altogether.

"Huh. Sea Elves? That's new. I wonder what this has to do with the corruption. Maybe something I can't decipher is the answer. I'm just gonna take this," he said, picking up the book. As he did that, he saw a button hidden below it. And, of course, he had to press it. It unlocked the cage surrounding the object on the far wall, but the water also started to thaw. Along with the creepy monster thing inside of it…

Pan hightailed it towards the glowing object, intent on snatching it before he somehow made his escape. Right after he grabbed the bottle that appeared to be a potion, he noticed that the water was rising and covering up the small bit of land that lead to the exit. Running was no longer an option. Pan belly-slid on the ice, making it halfway back before he stopped. The creature below saw this and was determined to stop him. It thrashed about, breaking some of the ice on top.

"Fuckin' shite! You can't be serious right now. I don't have any weapons, so I'm not fighting you!" he yelled at the mass of tentacles slowly making its way towards him. The lake was now almost completely melted. He jumped across to other pieces of ice as they floated by, almost sliding off into the water. One of the creature's tentacles raised up out of the water, ready to smash the Warden, but Pan flung three of his knives at it, hoping to catch it off guard. It worked. He only needed another minute or two before his ice chunk was at the other end and he could just run out of the tunnel.

The thing in the water, however, wasn't going to let that happen. It flung another rubbery tentacle into some ice and sent it flying towards the one Pan was on. He was airborne for about thirty seconds, clutching the bottle and book for dear life. He landed with a thunk on the stone floor. A thunk!

He stood up right in front of the giant door. "ANDRASTE'S SWEET ASS! I'M THE LUCKIEST BASTARD EVER!" he cheered as he ran down the tunnel, bare feet slapping the floor.

He gladly dove into the waterfall and swam back to the shore where Dragon was barking his head off, Fauxe was sniffing around, and Elana was calling for him.

"Commander! Damn it, Pantheras, I'm going to kill you if you got eaten!" she screamed.

Pan threw himself onto the shore and started laughing. Dragon leaped on him and started licking his face. The females of the group were not so pleased. Fauxe nipped at his stomach and Elana kicked one of his legs while scolding him for scaring them.

"Elana, I believe that is an inappropriate tone to address your senior officer with," he said with a grin. He was so pleased with himself that she sputtered to a stop. He hardly pulled rank on anyone for one, and he rarely smiled like he was at that moment. Usually it was some half-hearted smile that was more sad or tired than anything.

"I found something behind the waterfall. In fact, I think I found what that scroll lead me here for," he purred, holding up both objects he'd retrieved.

Elana's eyes widened and she snatched the book from him.

"I swore you were crazy! I said there couldn't be Dwarven ruins in an Elven place. I-I…," she bowed her head and blushed, "Commander, I was wrong. And I'm sorry."

"'S okay. Let's go home. I've got some research to do," he said happily. His grin was gone, but his eyes showed exactly how pleased he was. For the first time in ten years, he had some hope of the future. He felt something other than the certainty of death looming over him and his fellow Wardens. He'd have to make a stop by Denerim and let Alistair know the good news. Plus, he wanted to see the little prince again. Killian was his favorite godson. His only godson, but still his favorite. Pan had snicked at his best friend when Alistair told him that he'd named his son after Pan. Pantheras Killian Cousland was probably the worst name in the history of Ferelden.


	2. Denerim

**A/N:** Who likes Pan? I really hope you guys do. He might not be your favorite, but that's ok. Plenty of characters out there. And, DragonReckoning I named one of the Mabari after you. You've been a loyal reader and a good friend. On with the adventure!

* * *

Elana had split off from Pan and the two Mabari to go on to Vigil's Keep by Amaranthine where the Wardens now stayed in Ferelden. She had the book and the potion with her so the other Wardens could study it while Pan was gone. He'd told her that he had some business to take care of in Denerim, which she didn't believe, but she'd tell the others anyway. They all knew how much Pan enjoyed visiting King Alistair and his little family.

The Warden Commander strolled through the gates of Ferelden's Capital casually, ignoring the stares he got from the many people in the market. The older generations of people knew who he was. The younger ones hadn't really seen him much, only heard of his exploits.

In passing, he heard two teenage girls giggling to each other.

"Is that King Alistair?"

"No way! That has to be his brother or something!"

"He's so handsome, though!"

Pan mentally rolled his eyes. He and Alistair shared a striking resemblance to be sure, but late King Maric had only two sons; Cailan who had been killed in the Battle of Ostagar, and Alistair who sat on the throne. Pan shared Alistair's blonde hair, charming smile, and awkwardness… But their eyes were different colors, and their noses were different! Alistair had hazel eyes and a straighter nose. Pan's were more of an emerald green and he had a little bit shorter nose that had been broken once or twice.

He'd spent way too much time trying to convince people that he wasn't the King of Ferelden's brother. Not that he minded too much. He was a little distracted by old memories that he didn't notice someone calling him.

"Warden Commander!" called a stern male voice.

Pan snapped his attention to the man he recognized as the Captain of Denerim's guards, Leon Galmer. He was always a stick in the mud and had a bad habit of trying to get into business that he shouldn't have been involved in. Which included Pan and Alistair's. Pan groaned and waved a hello to the irritating man. A few people in the market seemed to perk up and buzz with gossip right away.

'So that's the famous Warden Commander!'

'What's he doing here?'

'I heard he's here because the King found him a wife.'

The random rumor that started for no reason. It was the way Denerim was and would always be. That was the exact reason that Pan never enjoyed being a noble. The stupid machinations that went to work as soon as someone got an idea in their head. The common people liked to imagine things about others more than nobles did… At least in the Capital they did.

"What brings such an honored visitor to the streets of Denerim?" asked the middle-aged man with his nasally voice. Pan tried his best not to grimace. Galmer's voice was a sound worse than a screech of a Deepstalker.

Pan smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "I uh… I just came to visit King Alistair is all. The Prince's fifth birthday is coming up as well, so I have something for him."

The Captain didn't seem satisfied with that, but he'd gotten scolded more than once for delaying 'Royal business'. Alistair always called it that even if Pan dropped by for no reason at all. Which was more often than not. Unfortunately, Pan couldn't get the annoying man to go away. He ended up getting an escort all the way to the castle. Pan argued for all of five minutes to try and convince Galmer not to have him announced. It was supposed to be a surprise. Or, that's what Pan said anyway. In reality, the Warden just hated to be announced. He'd rather just come in and say hello without being all formal and official.

Eventually, the Guard Captain left Pan to roam around the castle grounds alone. He nodded to a few of the Royal guard as he passed by or to a familiar servant. He'd spent much of his time in Denerim, so he knew the staff almost as well as the Royal family did. Pan made his way to the council room where he figured his friend was. The council always seemed to have something to complain about. Usually Orlais. His two dogs had run off to go explore the gardens and check on their favorite place: the kitchens.

Turned out, he was right. Pan slipped in without much notice and watched from the back of the room. Technically, he had a seat on the council, but he didn't ever use it. Wardens tried to stay out of politics and affairs of that nature.

"It would seem that the Inquisition has not made an alliance with the Rebel Mages of Redcliffe. I feel that they should be dealt with carefully since they are still unstable. Until we can find a new place for them to go, does anyone have any suggestions of where to send them?" Alistair asked the many men that sat around him. Pan almost laughed aloud when he saw Prince Killian's little blonde head pop up beside Alistair. Killian usually went to the meetings with his father, but this was new. The King helped the toddler prince up onto the table and listened to him talk for a moment.

"Daddy, put them in time out. They did a naughty thing, so… so they need to be in trouble," he said proudly nodding. Alistair listened to him with a serious expression on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. The council grumbled at the informality in which their King was behaving. Pan thought it was great. How else would Killian learn to be a great ruler?

"Good thought, Prince Killian. They did do a naughty thing and should be in trouble," he said before turning his eyes back to the rest of the room, "They took over Redcliffe, and ousted Arl Tegan and his family. I will not stand for it. I gave them a chance for sanctuary and they disrespected it. If I have to, I will march there myself and exile them! But, they _will_ leave Redcliffe! Council dismissed."

The council members filed out talking amongst themselves, none paying much attention to Pan. Finally, the room was empty except for the King and his young son. Alistair's head was in his hands, and Killian was playing with a wooden horse, his back to the door. Pan stealthily made his way towards them, only speaking when he was a few feet away.

"I thought Killian's plan was brilliant, actually," he said with a smirk.

Alistair's head shot up in surprise, and Killian turned around with a delighted squeal.

"Uncle Pan! Uncle Pan is here, daddy!" he cheered.

"It's good to see you again, my friend! What brings you here?" Alistair asked happily.

Pan scooped Killian up and twirled him around before setting the boy on his shoulders.

"I just thought I'd come by," he said with a look that told Alistair there was more to it. He didn't trust the walls of the council room, and there were some who wanted Alistair to hand over his crown because he was a Grey Warden. If they found out Pan had possibly found something that could get rid of the corruption, he was afraid they'd try and assassinate his friend.

"Mommy's gonna have another baby!" Killian announced.

"Is she? Well, that means you're going to be a big brother. You've got to teach them everything you know, ok?" Pan said half-serious.

Killian put his 'serious face' on and nodded like he was playing a soldier. Pan looked at Alistair who was shining with pride.

"Congratulations. How far along is Lady Ariel?" Pan asked.

They strolled out of the council room towards the private quarters where the Queen spent most of her days, painting, singing, sewing, and brushing up her swordplay. She'd been one of the nobles that had helped them in the last battle against the Archdemon. She knew what they'd done and how much it took to accomplish it.

"Oh, I'd say probably six months now. It's been a while since you visited us," Alistair said not unkindly.

Pan smiled sheepishly and sighed, "You know how being a Warden is. Plus, I've been looking into something. I thought I'd tell you because it affects you and your family."

Alistair's eyebrows raised. He trusted Pan with his life, and knew if anything were a threat to his family, Pan would be the first to throw himself in front of the danger to protect them all. They were pretty much Pan's family. After he'd lost his mother, father, sister-in-law, and his young nephew, Fergus had become hostile and distant. So, there wasn't much comfort in going to Highever. Pan helped Killian down from his shoulders and knelt down to look the boy in the eyes.

"Your birthday is coming up soon isn't it? You're going to be five! That's pretty impressive, huh? Well, I was in Nevarra and brought you back something," Pan said, digging in his pack, pretending to look for it for a long time. Killian bounced with excitement. Pan always brought him back something from his travels. It wasn't nearly as great as what his parents got him, but the little boy seemed more interested in what Pan had than what his parents got him.

The Warden pulled out a little toy soldier in black and purple armor with a Navarran crest on it. It held a sword and a shield, and bore a fierce expression, common to all of the people of Nevarra. Killian's eyes lit up as he inspected it.

"A Mortalitasi carved this himself and enchanted it so bad spirits can't come near you. No bad dreams!" Pan explained to his godson.

"Ooooh! That's so cool, Uncle Pan! Can I play with it now?!" he asked.

Pan handed it over and nodded. The two blonde men watched the prince run off to his room excitedly.

"That should help him get over the fear of monsters under his bed," Alistair said with a chuckle, "Now, what's this you found?"

Pan rubbed the side of his face where his scruff had grown, trying to figure out how to tell Alistair without instilling false hope. There really wasn't a way with how his friend was.

"For the past few years, I've been looking for something that could change the Wardens for the better. That's why I've been hard to find, and I apologize. I was just in the Emerald Graves in Orlais and found a Dwarven… gate of some kind—" he started.

"What? Dwarven? Are you sure? Have you told the Empress?" Alistair questioned, completely missing the point.

"Yes, I'm sure. I opened it myself, and there's no way it could've been anything different. I've decided not to tell Empress Celene because it's quite dangerous. There was some sort of sea creature in there. And, yes I'm sure it was a sea creature. It had a lake inside of the cavern with salt water. Anyway, what I've been looking for lead me there and I found a book and some sort of potion. I couldn't really read the book, so I sent it back to Vigil's Keep to be examined. I'm… not sure what the potion was."

Alistair took a deep breath and blew it out amazed at what he had just heard. He seemed doubtful, but he'd been through some pretty wild things with Pan in the past. "What were you looking for?" he asked.

"A cure for the taint."

Alistair looked about ready to collapse. He'd never really thought about it, but he didn't have much time as a Warden left either. He'd been with the Wardens for several years before he'd met Pan, and was probably closer to the Calling than Pan himself was.

"That can't be possible… But, you know I'm sure you have enough time to look for it if it is a real thing," Alistair said, his mouth going into overdrive as his brain struggled to keep up. He babbled on about not hearing the Calling and other things about the Wardens.

Pan clasped the King's shoulder and shut him up with his next words, "I've started hearing the voices, Alistair. I haven't told anyone yet, but I think my time may be running out. I'm… I'm okay with that. But, before I go, I need to make sure you can see your children grow up."

Alistair frowned and shook his head, "No. I'm _not_ okay with that. The world still needs you. This Inquisition could use your help with what they're facing right now. There's an old magister thing and—"

"Morrigan is with them… And my son. She doesn't want me there, so I'll respect her wishes. If the Inquisitor calls on me any other way, I'd gladly help," Pan said sadly.

The king was taken by surprise once more. Pan never talked about his unknown child; simply for the reason, he'd never met his child. For Alistair to now hear that it was a boy, and that Pan actually knew where they were was miraculous.

"For the love of—Pan! Listen to yourself would you? You have a _son_. You actually know where he and the woman you love are, and you're not going to find them?! Maker shit on what Morrigan wants! You need to find your happiness in this world," he almost yelled. Pan hadn't seen Alistair this mad since he'd faced Loghain all those years ago.

"Alistair, look, I'm trying to do something good for you and your family. I'm not giving up on that. Sure, I need to go sweep Morrigan off of her feet again and spend some time with Kieran. But, if I show up at the Inquisition's doorstep out of nowhere, she'll just disappear in the dead of night again. It'll be harder than ever to find her once she's gotten what the Inquisition can offer her. There is no one in all of Thedas that can find that sodding woman when she doesn't want to be found! I told Leliana that I was some place far off to the West so Morrigan wouldn't have to worry about me chasing her again. Obviously, I lied. You know good and well that I will do everything I can to help save people's lives. That's just how I am. I don't know what _I_ want. I don't think I know how to be happy anymore. I don't think… I don't think I belong to this world anymore."

Pan started off heated and ready to throw a punch, but by the end he was deflated and just wanted to hide in his room in Vigil's Keep. He didn't want to bother anyone with how much he felt like shit. How sad he was all the time. He was afraid that Alistair would say that Pan just needed to lighten up and do 'such and such' to feel better. The truth was, Pan never felt better. He always felt like a cloud was hanging over his head and he had no place in the world. He was ready to let death claim him. He was ready to fade into nothing but a story for children.

Alistair put an arm around Pan and led him out to the gardens, unsure of what to say. They got to a statue and Alistair backed up from Pan just slightly.

"You know what? I think the Hero of Ferelden has lost his way… If you want to, you can always stay here with us. Ariel would love to have you around, and you know Killian would be excited to see you more often. You'll find your happiness, Pan. It's out there somewhere," the King said.

Pan looked up at the statue, surprised to see the symbolic griffon rearing up with its wings spread. It had a plaque that was dedicated to him.

" _To the Hero of Ferelden, Pantheras Cousland, who saved us all from the Fifth Blight._

 _May the Maker watch you and keep you always."_

Queen Ariel swept around the corner then, long brown hair pinned up elegantly with a few pearls decorating it. She wore a beautiful blue and white dress. Her face was calm, but in her blue eyes was a storm. Pan did his best to smile when he saw her. Apparently she'd heard the last few exchanges between the two Wardens.

"Pantheras Cousland! I cannot believe you! You are the gentlest man I know, and you're usually the voice of reason around here. You have a heart of gold and could charm a Qunari. I can't believe that you think that after everything you've done you don't think you belong to this world anymore. There are countless people that owe you their lives. Last time you were in court, there were a great number of young ladies that asked about you. Or their fathers did. If you just opened your eyes and looked around, you could find some sort of happiness! It takes time, sweetheart. You have to find a place you like and stick with it," she scolded.

Alistair all but pouted, "You know he didn't do it alone, love."

Ariel shot him a look, "He led the armies, now close your pretty mouth."

The King scowled but let his beloved wife continue.

"Whether you're doing something in Ferelden, or somewhere not even on Thedas, you need to find it. I know you will, with time," she finished softly.

Pan hugged her and kissed her hand gently, "Thank you, Ari. I kind of needed that. Would it be okay with the both of you if I stayed here for a night? I'm heading to Amaranthine tomorrow to see if they've got anything new for me."

"Of course you can stay!" Alistair said.

The Queen laughed and agreed with her husband, "By the way, who's the new Arl of Amaranthine? After you'd stepped down it's gone through a few hasn't it?"

"Erm… I'm not exactly sure right now. I haven't been there in a while. It's been through four, I think. Last I heard, it was a woman from that area. They don't exactly like one of the Wardens ruling over them. I don't mind as long as we can use the Keep."

Pan and Alistair stayed up relatively late and shared drinks, talking about what they'd been up to for the past ten months—that was the last time Pan had been in Denerim. After drinks, Pan went to his room and fell right asleep.

However, it was far from restful. He had nightmares of the Archdemon, losing his family again, chasing Morrigan, and a deformed face trying to goad him into going to the Wester Approach. The voice calling him to the Western Approach was the most dominant, always appearing behind all of the others. It said it was his time to honor his order and lay down his sword.


	3. Questions

**A/N:** Ecstasy of Gold, you might just get your wish. I admit that I'm not very good at writing her though, so sorry in advance. To be honest, I only played Awakening twice and it was quite a while ago. So, forgive me if the details aren't exact. I know that the Warden stepped down from being the Arl/Arlessa and there were several new companions. I'm still mad that nothing about the Architect has been released.

* * *

Pan awoke that morning not feeling rested at all. In fact, he felt more tired than before he'd gone to sleep. It was not new to him. It had been happening to him for the past year or so. He was sure it was the Calling, but it didn't feel quite right to him. He'd always thought that the Wardens were called back to the Deep Roads, not somewhere specific, or on the surface for that matter.

 _Adamant Fortress. Go to Adamant. Lay your sword down at Adamant._

The orders rang in his head over and over again. He felt the urge to go, of course, but he tried to ignore it. He had something to do before he gave in.

Pantheras quickly packed his things and readied himself for the road. He would stay for breakfast just to appease Ariel and Alistair, but that was all. He didn't have much time left, and he wasn't going to waste it. No one ever mentioned any Wardens that had ignored their Calling, nor what happened if they did. Pan figured he'd end up some ghastly creature like that poor Dwarf, Ruck, they'd ran into in the Deep Roads trying to find Branka. He slipped on a gray cotton shirt and his leather pants, not ready to get back into his armor. It got pretty heavy after a while. He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed to the kitchen.

"Good morning Lord Cousland!" an older servant woman greeted him.

"Good morning," he said flashing her a smile.

As he got closer to his destination, he could hear happy barking. Dragon and Fauxe were up to something, like always. He rounded the corner and saw them sitting, wagging their little nub tails as one of the younger kitchen maids brought out bowls for them. Spoiled pups.

"Ah, I'm sorry 'bout that. You don't have to make them something special. I've got food for them," he said almost bashfully.

The young woman lifted her soft brown eyes and tucked her short brown hair behind her Elven ear.

"These two good dogs need better food than what scraps you might be givin' them serah. They act half starved," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Pan chuckled and bowed his head in apology, "You're probably right that they need better food, but I assure you that they eat all the time, m'lady."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink as she realized who he was.

"Warden Commander! I am so sorry. I hadn't realized. Please forgive me for my rudeness!" she babbled.

Pan walked over and scratched the top of his dogs' heads while they gobbled up whatever scraps she'd left for them.

"It's no insult to me. Really. You just spoke your mind," he said casually.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, "You are most kind Commander. I know one such as you does not deserve such talk from an Elven servant."

Pan scowled closed the few feet between them. He hated how Elves were treated in Thedas. Alistair had done quite a lot to help improve things, and he was not prejudice what so ever towards them. Pan gently lifted her chin with two of his fingers and made her look him in the eyes. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"I do not care what your ears look like, serah. I've had plenty of Elven friends in my years. Do not be afraid to speak your mind. You are no less than I because of who you are," he said softly, "In the time of Arlathan you could've been a princess. Who knows?"

He nodded his head once more and took his leave, leaving the Elven woman in stunned silence. His faithful furry companions trotted behind him as he made his way to where the Royal family was just sitting down for breakfast.

Pan kissed Ariel on the cheek, patted Alistair's shoulder, and hugged Killian before he sat down to join them. Alistair hated the enormous table that was in the dining area, so they ate at a much smaller round table in a sun room. It didn't feel as if they were so far from each other.

"How did you sleep, dear?" Ariel asked sweetly.

Pan faked a smile and sipped his fresh apple juice, "I slept really well, thank you." His best friend knew better and shot him a look. Pan tried not to look Alistair in the eye. Pan made it through breakfast without many more questions about topics that made him extremely uncomfortable, which included Morrigan, Keiran, sleeping, and why he hadn't been in the company of many Wardens for so long. The last one was more complicated than he wanted to admit. They didn't like that he was searching for something to get rid of the taint. It made the Order feel meaningless. He'd tried to explain to them that it could be used only for Wardens that had just started hearing the Calling when there was not a Blight. Or in a special case, use it for Alistair. They wanted to hear none of it.

Pan said his goodbyes and was walking towards the castle gates when a familiar horse came galloping up. The guards became frantic and barred the way. An angry Elf woman started yelling at them and telling them to back off before she put a dagger in their eye. Pan rushed forward, telling the guards that it was alright.

"Warden Elana!" he called, "What are you doing here?" he asked, voice laced with worry. There was no way that the other Wardens had translated the book that quickly. A knot formed in Pan's stomach.

She ran over to her commander, eyes wild and terrified.

"They're gone," she whispered.

They ended up borrowing Alistair's study for a small Warden meeting. Alistair leaned against a bookshelf, Elana sat in his chair, and Pan leaned over the desk, both hands on top of it.

"What do you mean they're gone?" Pan asked. Elana had explained to them that she had arrived back at Vigil's Keep and the workers seemed to be confused. They'd told her that all of the Wardens had begun to disappear, saying that they had something important to do. It was a single Warden at first, then small groups. Finally, there were no Wardens left.

"I don't know, Commander. The workers didn't say where they'd gone… But, that's not all."

Alistair and Pan exchanged a look. It took a lot to spook a Warden of her experience. She'd been with the Order for at least eight years and had been in the Deep Roads a few times, for months at a time. She hadn't heard the voice of the Archdemon like they had, but she'd heard and seen plenty.

"Elana… what's got you so worked up?" Alistair asked gently.

"I-I heard it. I heard the Calling. I'm not ready! I don't want to go to Adamant!" she stammered.

Pan's eyes widened. There was no way. "Adamant Fortress? As in the one in The Western Approach?" he demanded.

Elana nodded, "I heard something in my dreams. I couldn't understand it, but I knew it wanted me to go there. It just happened after I arrived at Vigil's Keep. Commander, what do I do?"

Pan's eyebrows furrowed. He'd understood the voice perfectly. Strange. Maybe it was because he was the senior Warden and had more of a connection to the taint than she did. That didn't explain why she heard it already. She should have at least seven more years ahead of her. And for it to be the same exact place did not sit well with Pan. Another question was bugging him.

"Alistair, have you heard anything in your dreams?" Pan asked with a deadly seriousness.

"I, uh… no? Not that I can recall. Why?" he asked.

"Because the voice that I've been hearing has been telling me to go to Adamant as well. This isn't right. Something sinister is going on. We need to find the other Wardens immediately. And, Alistair, if you start hearing the voice, ignore it," Pan ordered.

Alistair groaned and looked at his friend worriedly. He could almost predict exactly what Pan was about to do. It was the opposite of what Alistair thought they should do.

"You're going to Adamant Fortress," he said. It wasn't a question, more of a slightly whiny 'don't do it'.

"I'm going to Adamant Fortress," Pan confirmed with a smile. Twelve years ago this was how their plans had gone. They would talk about something in camp and Alistair would oppose it in his head, but Pan got this look in his eyes and Alistair would know that's exactly what they were doing. The best was when Alistair warned Pan not to go try and 'save' Anora. They went and saved Anora, and got thrown in jail.

"You know what this reminds me of?" the king asked.

"What?"

"When I said 'Let's NOT fight the High Dragon outside of the Temple of Sacred Ashes! That's a bad idea, Pan!' and you were all 'NOPE! We've gotta fight it because it's a DRAGON!' and we did. And we almost died," Alistair said giving Pan a ridiculously deep voice.

Pan laughed, "But we _didn't_. And we didn't die when we fought that Sloth demon. We didn't die when I helped the Lady of the Forest and the Elf Clan. We didn't die when we fought the Broodmother in the Maker-forsaken Deep Roads. _No one died_ when I killed that Desire demon that was possessing Connor."

Alistair made a face, "I actually wanted you to do the last one. I was just scared."

"For a Warden, you don't like to do anything," Pan teased.

Elana burst out laughing. The two men looked at her with the same stupid expression on their face.

"What?" they asked at the same time.

"I've heard the official story, and I've heard about what you two were really like. I just didn't believe it until now! You two are like young lads."

Alistair smiled sheepishly and Pan shrugged and started petting Dragon. That's just what happened when he and Alistair started goofing around. That was how things were when Pan felt comfortable and at ease. It reminded him of how things were. Back then sure wasn't the greatest time for the world as a whole, but that had been the best year of Pan's life. He'd lost his mother, father, sister-in-law, and nephew, but he'd gained a different sort of family. They didn't expect him to be a certain way or follow a certain path other than what was obviously on his 'to do' list. He wasn't told to find a woman, have this many kids, become a master of this kind of trade, obey his brother, and so on. He had been freed. Anyone could easily think that he was cold-hearted for thinking that way, but that wasn't the case. He loved his mother and father dearly. They were wonderful people. He'd mourned them for quite some time. He still missed them.

The thing about being a Cousland was that he never felt like one. He felt like he should've been born to a farming family or to a merchant family. The Cousland House was a noble one that had to uphold their good name and follow all the rules. They had to be upstanding citizens and not do anything outlandish. Like, want to explore the world, fight Darkspawn, go live with the Dalish Elves, or learn more about the Avaar tribes. That was not something the son of a Noble house wanted to do.

"I think it's about time we headed to the Western Approach. It's about a month to get there from here. We're going to make a stop before we get there," Pan said. His face turned stony. He didn't want to go through with his plan, but there was no other way. He wanted to find out what was going on with the Wardens and there was one person he could count on to find out what it was.

They were going to Skyhold.


	4. To Skyhold!

A/N: RoachTr19o5, thank you for the review, darling. I really hope BioWare does more with the Architect. If not, Awakening was basically a waste of time for the story. As for Elena and Pan, I have some things in store that will, hopefully, be interesting to you guys. Sorry for the long break, life and stuff. Ya'll know how things get. This'll be fun!

The lands around Redcliffe village were alive with the sounds of animals. Bears rummaged around in the bushes, goats clomped around, fennec foxes shuffled about. All were getting ready for nightfall. Pan and Elena were setting up their camp while the two Mabari hunted for food.

He sat there trying to start the fire when he heard an unwelcome, but familiar, sound behind him. It was a sort of groaning and gnashing of teeth. There were two shades, a wraith, a Despair demon, and a Terror demon creeping up on the camp. He was their target. Pan dropped the flint and steel, rolled over to his bow and let loose a couple of arrows that embedded themselves in the shades. That took care of them. They and the wraith weren't anything to worry about. The Despair demon worried him the most. It was said that demons were more drawn to those who held their embodiment in their hearts. Hence why Desire demons went for specific people.

Elana came running out of the woods with his two furry kids and readied her daggers. She quickly dispatched the wraith and helped Fauxe and Dragon try to take down the Terror demon. While they were busy with that, Pan braced himself to fight what he feared most. He knew that if he fell into his despair, he would end up destroying himself like he'd almost done when he'd lost Morrigan for the first time. He'd become somewhat of a devil; wherever he went he'd drink up any tavern and he'd whore for days. He'd gone through four girls in one night. After about five months on his path of destruction, Alistair and Zevran had found him somewhere in Antiva, hungover in a whorehouse. Apparently, Zevran had been keeping an eye on him for the last two months on Alistair's orders. Pan hadn't eaten in three days and had been severely dehydrated. The Warden healer said that the only reason he hadn't died was because of the taint's will to go on and spread. After that, Alistair had demanded that Pan stay in Denerim for a while until they were sure that it was ok for Pan to be alone again.

This had started only a couple weeks after Amaranthine had been attacked. Pan blamed himself for not saving more people. If he would've just let Vigil's Keep fall, he could've saved more people… The workers and other Wardens would've died, but no one seemed to care about that. They wanted the people of that rotten city to be saved.

Pan shook the memories from his head and fired some arrows into the demon's chest. The last one missed because it spun away and screeched. An icy stream came his way, but he dove out of the way just in time. He scraped the arrowhead against the flint he'd dropped, causing the wood around the arrow to catch fire. He shot it at the whining thing and hit it right in the face. It cried louder and covered its face again in attempt to put out the fire causing it so much pain. Pan smirked and readied another arrow, but he wasn't quick enough.

The demon spun over and knocked Pan down, placing itself on top of him. Its death cold fingers dug into his shoulders despite the armor he'd been wearing. The Despair demon blew the ice stream into Pan's face. He held his breath as long as he could, but eventually, he had to take a breath. Immediately, he began to have flashbacks of the worst moments of his life.

"Pantheras, my darling, you must go with the Warden. I will defend your father. Find Fergus!" Blood stained his hands. His father was dying and his mother was seconds from breaking down. "No. I need to stay here with you. I can keep them occupied while you two escape!"

Dragon lay on the ground before him. The Broodmother was dead, but he feared that his faithful pup was too. Fauxe whined at Leliana's side. "Dragon… hang in there, buddy. I'll get you fixed up."

"After this, I am leaving. I do not want you to come look for me or the child." Morrigan's face was so grim in that moment that Pan thought his heart would break. He knew he loved her then. Just the thought of her not being around made him sick. What was worse was that she would be carrying his child. He'd spent an entire year trying to become closer to her and trying to wear down the outer shell that made up her always angry façade. He'd managed to do it for a little while. At least while they were alone. "Morrigan, please don't. I'm not sure why you want this child, and I don't care. Don't leave. I lo-"

"Pan, stop. You do not know what you are saying."

It was six months after he'd been staying in Denerim with Alistair. His brother, Fergus had come to visit, much to Pan's surprise. He was always busy with governing that he never even sent Pan a letter. Of course, Pan had understood why that day. Fergus did not even say hello to his brother…

"You are a disgrace to the Cousland name! How dare you make a spectacle of yourself and go about drinking and whoring! Do you even know how much trouble this has caused me?!"

Pan winced and opened his mouth to try and apologize, but he didn't get that far.

"Don't you try to make any excuses. The Hero of Ferelden does NOT behave in such a manner. If mother and father were here… Do you think this would've made for a good example for your nephew? And that Apostate whore who you decided to spit a child into is gone. We've no idea what sort of rubbish she will say—"

Pan flew across the room and decked Fergus. He couldn't help himself; he didn't stop until Alistair came running in and pulled him off.

Pan was livid and ready to kill Fergus Cousland, "Don't you sit there and use mother and father against me! I tried to save them. They're not here anymore! I tried to save YOUR family because you weren't there. I didn't make it… For that, I am sorry. I wasn't the one who ordered the attack, damn it! I swear, Fergus, if you EVER talk about Morrigan like that again, I will kill you. I am not your brother. I am no family to you. Forget about me. Ever since the Blight, you've done nothing for me. You haven't shared in my pain or sorrow. You've only been there during my victories to try and gain some glory. Piss on the Cousland name and fuck off, Fergus!"

He could feel the heaviness in his chest. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Soon, his lungs would fail him and he'd give in to the numbness that wanted him. No matter how much he struggled, Pan couldn't seem to shake the Despair. Elena was yelling for him to hold on. She was still fighting the Terror demon with his mutts. Pan thought that his tiring life full of nonstop fighting was finally at an end. If the Maker willed it, he would gladly go. He might've failed Alistair and the other Wardens, but what else was new? He'd failed so many other people…

This was not to be so. A figure wearing black armor ran out of the trees, sword flashing in the dying light. It was already covered in blood and demon smatterings. Whoever it was made a b-line for Pan and sliced the Despair demon's head off. Something in Pan jarred. He had a weird feeling pulse through his body that wasn't that unfamiliar. He hadn't felt this way since he'd fought the Darkspawn in Amaranthine.

Bloodlust.

The battle was over, so there was no need for fighting, and yet the feeling threatened to overcome him. Pantheras stomped it down to where he could only feel it in the pit of his stomach. It was a dangerous thing to let it take over his mind. He had a wicked temper in the past, but he had learned to keep a tight hold on it thanks to his mother. He took a calming breath and looked over at the figure in the heavy armor. Elena had her daggers at the ready and her eyes on whoever it was.

Pan propped his bow against a rock as a show of good faith. "Thank you for the assistance. I am Warden Commander Pantheras Cousland. May I ask your name?"

He was more than surprised to hear a woman's voice from behind the helmet, "Well met, Hero of Ferelden. I knew that had to be you. I am… well, my name does not matter. For now, you can call me Wrath. To where are you traveling? I might be of some assistance for a while."

Pan bowed his head and looked at Elena to get her to back off. She sheathed her daggers and started checking the dogs for injuries.

"We are heading to Skyhold to meet this 'Herald of Andraste'. I've heard she is the new Inquisitor… Anyone with that kind of authority needs to be checked on," he said honestly.

"The Herald of Andrast- … I thought she was dead. I will go with you then, if you do not mind," Wrath said decisively. Pan nodded in agreement, in spite of the extremely disdainful look on Elena's face.

"There is one thing I have a feeling about, though," he said motioning for Elena to come closer, "Elena and I are going to need a disguise. Everyone knows what the Warden armor looks like. And most folk know my face."

So, they traveled the rest of the way to Skyhold as an elderly man, his elven servant, and their bodyguard.

Pan and company shuffled into the main hall of Skyhold a week later. There were nobles gossiping, eating, and doing other nonsense he hated. There was a Dwarf telling stories to some of the children of the soldiers and pilgrims. Chantry sisters and priests were discussing the Chant of Light or quoting some part of it. An Inquisition agent quickly walked up to Pan's group and bowed his head in greeting.

"Welcome to Skyhold, travelers. May I ask what business you have here?" he said politely.

Pan smiled brightly and stood a little taller, not leaning on his makeshift cane so much, "Good afternoon, serah. I am here to meet this Herald of Andraste, of course. And… to see an old friend of mine. I would very much like to speak with Leliana when she gets the chance. I know being Spymaster is a demanding job."

Pan watched as the man shuffled towards a door and hurried past a gilded desk that lay behind it. No doubt, they would all be confused and perhaps a little annoyed. That is, until they knew who was calling. Pan hoped this Inquisitor was a reasonable person. Based on what little he'd heard, the stories were mixed. Though, he was more apt to believe the peasantry then the nobles, and the folks around Ferelden seemed to like her a great deal. He was trying not to laugh, which earned a glare from Elena, as Leliana and the other leaders of the Inquisition appeared in the main hall.

Much to his surprise, the Herald of Andraste was a scrap of a woman. He had known she was an Elf, but not that she was so… small. Pan swore that if he tried, he could probably break her in half! She was a pretty little thing though; short silver hair that curled right by her chin, red eyes that held fire to rival the breath of an archdemon, and soft tanned skin. He inwardly scolded himself and turned his gaze to Leliana.

"Welcome to Skyhold. I offer you food and drink, and rest if you so need it. I am Inquisitor Mina Lavellan. May I ask who you are and what I can do for you?" the Herald greeted them.

Pan liked making somewhat dramatic entrances, so… he took off his hood and grinned at the shocked Leliana. No one else would notice that her eyes widened ever so lightly and her lips twitched upwards just so. Almost a smile. She had changed so much in the years they had been apart. Then again, so had they all. He heard the gasps, but chose to ignore them. The people behind him did not interest him in the slightest. Taking a few steps forward, he put his fist over his heart and bowed his head, "Forgive me for coming unannounced. I did not want to make a fuss," he said to his old friend. He had caught the look on the Inquisitor's face; she had no idea who he was. It was strange, but a pleasant surprise. Maybe the Dalish had not passed his story on.

"Lady Inquisitor, I apologize to you as well. Warden Commander Pantheras Cousland at your service. To my left is my fellow Warden, Elena. To my right is a fellow traveler… I do not know her name, but she shared camp with us a week and fought off demons with us. She is a friend so far as I'm concerned," he added.

The little Elf seemed a bit stunned and awkward. It was rather cute. "Er… Welcome Warden Commander, Warden Elena, and honorable knight," Mina and Leliana walked down to them. The stupid nobles would see this as a personal greeting and a show of support by the Hero.

Pantheras held his smile and asked Mina quietly, "Might I have a moment of your time? If you wish your advisors to join us, that would be fine. I couldn't help but spy the Champion of Kirkwall among your companions as well. He might want to hear what I have to say as well." He wanted nothing more than to get away from prying eyes and their idiotic wagging tongues.

"Of course. Join us in the War room. We were just discussing something," Mina said tilting her head.

Pan and Elena followed the group back to wherever it was they were holding their meeting. He had noticed 'Wrath' was not following behind them. Probably for the best. He had some delicate things to ask about, and the less people who knew, the better. That and, he didn't actually know who Wrath was. It unnerved him.

They stopped in a huge room with ornate windows and a strange looking table made from a tree. It held a detailed map of Thedas along with different markers. It was their war room. He had interrupted something important, apparently. He was good at that.

Leliana about knocked him over with a hug. It was great to see her again. "You should have sent a letter, Pan! Or at least announced that you were coming! I could have waited for you, or sent some of my agents to escort you!" she fussed. Pan held her shoulders and looked at her with a mischievous smile.

"Leli, you know exactly why I couldn't do that. If I did, she would have found out somehow and left. I need to meet my son," he said. That, and he wanted to see if he could surprise the 'all knowing, all seeing' spymaster of the Inquisition. She would never let him out of her sight again after this. Or so she thought. He always found a way to surprise her. Like the shoes with the blue ribbons all those years ago…

The Inquisitor chimed in, "Leliana, you never told me how flipping huge he was! He looks like a fucking Viking!"

Pan had no idea what a Viking was, but he couldn't help but laugh at this tiny little thing cursing. It was hilarious! She did not act Dalish or like one of the city Elves he had met. He wondered where exactly she was from. And the way she looked all embarrassed was too much! He was going to buy this woman a drink if he could help it.

"What is a Viking?" he asked after he got his laughter under control.

"Uh… well… it's a race of people that are known for their skill in battle. They're ginormous, and have a style to the likeness of yourself. It's uh… It's a long story," she stammered.

Pantheras nodded and looked at their maps. He still didn't know what it was, but he was going to make it a point to ask later on if he could.

"Heh. Maker's foot! It seems as if you were already planning something at Adamant Fortress anyway."

"What do you mean, Pan?" asked Leliana. He could feel the warmth of her close to his side. It was like the old times. He could always depend on her to be where he needed her, and solve just about any problem he was having.

"It would seem that the Wardens are all hearing the Calling at the same time. All of my Wardens from Vigil's Keep have gone missing, save for Elena and myself. King Alistair remains unaffected thus far. Warden Stroud, I assume you have heard this?"

Stroud nodded.

"Elena has told me that she has the strong urge to go to Adamant Fortress. I, myself, have heard clear instructions telling me to head there and seek out Clarel, the Warden Commander of Orlais. As far as I had known, this is not at all how the Calling is supposed to work. I'll not go into the details, but we need to get into that fortress as soon as possible. I fear for all of the Wardens out there," Pan explained.

The blonde man Pan assumed was Commander Cullen spoke up, "It has been decided then. We will begin making preparations to attack Adamant. We'll need detailed information, siege equipment at the ready, and our soldiers ready for battle."

"Not only is Adamant going to be hard to crack, but we're fighting many skilled people. Plus demons. This is going to be a hard won battle," Hawke added gravely.

Pantheras studied the Champion for a moment. He had met a Bethany Hawke a couple of times during his travels. She was a skilled mage and a lovely young woman. The last he had heard, she was traveling towards the Nahashin Marshes to deal with a few Darkspawn that had somehow tunneled up to the surface.

"Champion Hawke, I wanted you to know that I've met your sister, Bethany. She has a kind heart and is a wonderful Warden. I sincerely hope she is not at Adamant," Pan said. He noticed the Lady Inquisitor place a hand on the Champion's shoulder comfortingly. The closeness of how they were standing and the way she looked at him suggested they were together. A shame, since she was absolutely adorable. He wouldn't ordinarily use that term, but she was like a feisty little kitten trying to be scary.

"Thank you, Warden Commander… If she is, I will save her. I will not fight my little sister," he said in a tone the Warden could empathize with. He had pledged to save many that were important to him, only to fail. He hoped that Hawke did not fare the same.

"Inquisitor, are you well?" asked Cullen all of a sudden, voice thick with worry.

Mina looked up and smiled weakly, "Sure thing, Commander. I think I'm just worn out from the—"

She ran over to an empty flower vase and puked. "Ugh… I'm s-sorry everyone. I don't know where that came from. I f-feel…" She paused again to wretch some more. Pan looked over at Leliana who shrugged. Their ambassador, Josephine called off the rest of the meeting, saying that they would continue after Mina felt better.


End file.
